This application claims the priority of German Application No. 10 2006 009 091.8, filed Feb. 28, 2006, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a method and system for the input of an information message in a vehicle, and to a correspondingly equipped vehicle.
Vehicles with navigation systems are known, in which an indicating device is controlled as a function of the currently determined location of the vehicle. For example, an intersection is shown on the indicating device when the vehicle is located in proximity of the intersection. When the routing system is activated, the correct route is additionally illustrated in a highlighted manner—superimposed on the display of the intersection. In addition, it is known to inform the driver acoustically of the correct route by the output of a corresponding voice message. In this case, the output of information is based on information stored in a read-only manner, for example, on a DVD, which information—with the exception of the destination—cannot be changed by the driver.
Situations therefore occur, in which these known systems do not guide the driver corresponding to his individual wishes. The driver may, for example, at certain times, want to drive a route deviating from his customary route (when the routing system is deactivated) or drive a route deviating from the route which was suggested by the navigation system (while the routing system is activated). Reasons for this deviation may be a temporary construction site; an errand which always has to be run on a certain weekday; a special traffic situation occurring only at certain times, or a driver's personal preference for certain routes at certain times.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a system and method which makes it easier for a driver of a vehicle to drive the route desired by him.
This object is achieved by a method for the output of an information message in a vehicle, and a correspondingly equipped vehicle system, in which method an information message is stored, and the current location of the vehicle is determined. A driver of the vehicle triggers an assignment of a stored information message to a location. The information message assigned to a location is automatically emitted when the vehicle is situated at this location.
Advantageous further developments of the invention are described and claimed herein.
The invention is, therefore, also based on the idea of reminding the driver at certain locations to drive a different route which deviates from his customary route or from the route suggested by the navigations system, specifically the route that most corresponds to his individual wishes. These wishes may be a function of the time or of the situation.
For this purpose, the driver sets up or triggers an assignment of a reminder or information message to be emitted to a location where he is to be reminded or where the information message is to be emitted. The reminder or the output of an information message will then take place automatically when the vehicle is situated at the location or in the proximity of the location which is assigned to the information message.
The driver is thereby enabled to set a reminder point, which links a certain location with an information message. Based on this stored reminder point, the output of the corresponding, preferably location-dependent, information message will then take place when the vehicle is again situated in this location.
The information message or several information messages are stored or intermediately stored in a storage device. The information messages may be acoustic, optical and/or haptic signals (or indications which are, for example, preset by a vehicle manufacturer or are selected or generated by the driver). An information message preferably includes a voice message generated by the driver. However, the invention also contemplates the generating and output of single signal tones as information messages.
In order to adapt the automatic output of such a location-dependent reminder or information message as easily as possible to the wishes of the vehicle driver or to make the setting of such a reminder by the driver as simple, comfortable, and intuitive as possible, it is preferably provided that, during the drive, the driver himself triggers or establishes the assignment of an information message to the location at which the information message is to be emitted, by actuating an actuating element. With the actuating of the actuating element, an information message is automatically assigned to the currently determined location of the vehicle, thus to the location of the vehicle at the point in time of the actuating of the actuating element. In order to make the triggering of an assignment of an information message particularly comfortable and ergonomic, it is preferably provided that the actuating element is a rotary push button, particularly a rotary push button which is already present anyhow for operating another device, for example, a navigation system or an audio system.
The information message to be assigned is preferably selected, generated or entered beforehand by use of the actuating element. Particularly preferably, with the actuating of an actuating element, a voice recording device is activated in order to thereby input and store an information message by using the voice of the driver, and simultaneously the assignment of this information message to the currently determined location is triggered.
The location to which an information message is assigned may be the current location of the vehicle, a location in proximity of the current location of the vehicle, or a location which has a fixed local or time-related relationship with the current location of the vehicle. For this purpose, preferably the routes driven by the vehicle are intermediately stored for a preset past time period.
By actuating an actuating element, preferably that location, which is situated before the current location in the driving direction by a given distance or a given driving distance or a given driving time (when a given speed or the current speed is assumed), is automatically assigned to an information message. An actuating or a delayed actuating of an actuating element for triggering an assignment of a location to an information message, for example, only after or directly at a turn-off point to be selected, may nevertheless have the result that, during the next traveling of the route, the corresponding information message is emitted on time, for example, before the turn-off point to be selected. Thus, after the reminder by the information message, the driver will have sufficient time in order to, for example, change a driving lane, actuate a turn signal, and prepare himself for the turn off from the customary route or the route suggested by the navigation system.
In addition to the assignment of a location to an information message, it is preferably provided to also assign a driving direction to the information message. This is preferably an automatically determined current driving direction of the vehicle when triggering the assignment of a location and of the driving direction to an information message, particularly the automatically determined current driving direction of the vehicle when actuating the actuating element. As a result, it becomes possible to automatically emit the reminder or the information message not only at the correct location but also only when the vehicle is in the appropriate driving direction, specifically essentially in the stored driving direction assigned to the information message.
The driving direction to which an information message is assigned may be the current driving direction of the vehicle or a driving direction which the vehicle had at a location which is in a fixed preset local or time-related relationship with respect to the current location of the vehicle. For this purpose, the driving directions of the vehicle are preferably intermediately stored for a given past time period.
The information message is preferably not emitted when the vehicle is not situated at the location and/or is not situated in the driving direction which is assigned to the information message.
The information message is particularly preferably only emitted when a routing module of a navigation system integrated in the vehicle is deactivated.
The object on which the invention is based is preferably also achieved by a vehicle having a location determination device, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, for the determination of the current location of the vehicle, having a storage device for storing at least one information message, having an input device for triggering the assignment of a stored information message to a location, and having an output device for the emission of an information message. A control device, which interacts or is connected with the above-mentioned components, is set up such that the information message assigned to a location is automatically emitted when the vehicle is situated in this location. The current driving direction is preferably determined by use of the location determination device or by use of a driving direction determination device.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.